CRN Asia Breakfast Briefing: Five key takeaways
More than 50 representatives from the vendors and partners in Singapore attended the inaugural CRN Asia Breakfast Briefing.
CRN Asia’s inaugural breakfast briefing was attended by more than 50 executives from the tech and partner ecosystem in Singapore. The two-hour session included a research presentation as well as key updates from The Channel Company on plans for the region.
Presenting insights from IPED research, Stuart Sumner, Chief Content Officer of The Channel Company, shared that the APAC channel is now seeing two speeds. The first involves fast players that are in line with new tech while the other involves slower players with tighter margins.
The session also featured a fireside chat between Sumner and Aaron Raj, CRN Asia Editor. During the chat, Raj explained that while partners in the region are excited about the prospects in the channel, some are still feeling a bit challenged in meeting some of the requirements set by vendors in their updated partner programs.
Raj also pointed out that partners in Asia are hoping to get more enablement for vendors, especially with the speed of innovation coming to the region. Raj also stated that partners in Asia are also looking to work with vendors from China, especially with customers now looking to have more options when investing in technology.
Five key takeaways from the briefing
Apart from the research presentation and fireside chat, Alan Loader, Chief Media Officer of The Channel Company shared more details on the expansion plans and events that will be happening in the region in 2026.
Launch of CRN India
The Channel Company has officially launched in CRN India following the completion of the partnership agreement with Indian Express. Kumar Gandharv has been appointed as the editor of CRN India and will focus on content for the vendor and channel ecosystem in the country.
CRN Channel Awards Asia 2026 and Women of the Channel Leadership Summit
Following the success of the CRN Channel Awards Asia 2025 and Women of the Channel Leadership Summit, 2026 will see the return of both events. The CRN Channel Awards Asia 2026 will take place on the 10th of September while the Women of the Channel Leadership Summit will take place on the 9th of September 2026. Both events will be at the Pan Pacific Orchard. This year, the CRN Channel Awards Asia will include several new categories, enabling more recognition for the channel community in the region.
XChange Asia
Vendors and partners can also look forward to the inaugural XChange Asia. XChange is the largest independent IT channel event series, bringing together an elite community of C-suite and director-level solution provider for decision makers evaluating new solutions across today’s most critical technology markets. The leading partner driven event will be in Singapore on May 11th, 2026, as well as in Sydney in September 2026. There will also be several other XChange events taking place throughout the year in the US, Europe and Latin America.
CRN Answers
The briefing also saw the launch of CRN Answers, an AI-powered search tool designed to provide answers based on the CRN new network’s own content rather than pulling from the open web. CRN Answers not only turns audience questions into trusted CRN answers but also reveals buyer intent, emerging demand and hot topics. This creates new, high-value engagement opportunities for partners and vendors.
Partner Ignite
Partner Ignite brings strategy, creative development and execution, and optimization together under one roof, led by channel veterans and powered by AI, so vendors and solution providers can pivot quickly, execute consistently, and maintain momentum as ecosystems evolve.
“These events reflect where the channel is heading next: community driven, partner led, insight-driven, with an agenda tailored to partners in this region. The ASEAN, Indian and ANZ ecosystems are among the most dynamic globally. At The Channel Company, we are relentless in our mission to build the strongest channel communities in this region, to connect the right partners, vendors and distributors and accelerate growth as they embrace the enormous AI driven market opportunity,” Loader said.
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